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Hospitality workers decry ‘slave labour’ conditions

Friday, January 09, 2026 | 110 Views |

Beauty and the beast: Hospitality workers say beneath the tourist wonders lies work-place heartache PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO

The Botswana Hotel, Catering, Travel and Tourism Workers Union (BHCTTWU) has levelled allegations of employee exploitation against the tourism and hospitality industry, citing problematic practices such as short-term contracts, low wages, long hours, and predatory staff rationalisation.

Presenting the laundry list of issues at a press briefing held amidst the Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), Nicholas Motiki, the BHCTTWU executive secretary, said the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the catalysts of the growing employee exploitation.

“Most of the big hotel chains in Botswana implemented ‘staff rationalisation’ during that period and have not looked back, regardless of the end of the pandemic,” he said.

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